Building structure



March 2,1926. 1,575,126

. J. A. PETERMAN BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 11, 1925 IIIWENTOR. Jose v77 /4. Peterm'an the :frame normally closed thereby; with Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. PETERMAN OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BUILDING STRUCTURE.

Application filed November 11, 1925. Serial No. 68,280.

To all whom it'may concern- I Be it known that I, J osnrrr A. PETERMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building Structures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This inventionrelates to superstructures for buildings, and particularly to those which are used for the purposes of ventilation and for providing an outlet for smoke and gas in'cases of fires. Such'superstructures may have a glass roof to admit light and are used largely on theatres, schools, and large buildings where a considerable number of people congregate. Such superstructures are provided with one or more openings closed by doors and operable into open position when released. In case of a fire it is intended that the doors are to be opened, and then the smoke, gas and flames will pass freely through said si'iperstructureand openings, thereby avoiding suffocation of and injury to the occupants of the building and providing against spread of the fire until the occupants have an opportunity to escape.

In prior superstructures of this type, the closures have been either operated or biased into open position bysprings or by weights within the superstructure, or the openings have been inclined to the vertical so that the closures would always be sufliciently inclined to fallinto open position whenever released. In the latter case, it is necessary to rovide a superstructure with inclined jam s which structurally is relatively expensive and difficult to build. In the former case, the weights and springs are unreliable, and weights within the superstructure obstruct the interior thereof and require considerable mechanism to transfer their force to an outwardly opening door. Considerable difficulty has also been experienced in insuring an opening of said doors against strong wind pressure, and under varying conditions of sleet and snow.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved superstructure for buildings,

with which the regular and relatively inexpensive vertical construction of the lateral walls and openings may be employed; with which the usual ventilating andfire openings will be closed by devices that, when open, will offer no obstruction to the openings of which the closure devices will always have a dependable bias toward open position; with which accumulations of snow and ice on the closure devices will increase their opening bias; with which the effect of strong winds retarding the opening of the closure devices will be reduced to a minimum; with which the interior of the superstructure will be substantially unobstructed; and which will be relatively effective, durable, dependableand inexpensive.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

' In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through a superstructure constructed in accordance with the invention, the section being taken approximately along the line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same, with the section taken approximately along the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the closures forming a part of the same.

In the illustrated embodimentof the invention, the superstructuie comprises a frame 1 extending from and above the roof 2 of a building, and-preferably having a transparent roof 3 serving as a skylight for illuminating the interior of the building. The lateral walls of the frame are provided with one or more openings 4 which are dis posed in substantially vertical planes and have substantially vertical jambs. Suitable closures 5 are disposed across each of said openings, and each is connected along its lower'edge by suitable hinges 6 to the frame 1 along the lower edge of the opening.

Such closures may be formed of sheet material, such as sheet metal, and may comprise two triangular end walls 7 connected by wall sections 8 and 9. The end walls 7 of each closure have one side edge lying in a vertical plane and abutting the frame when the closure is across the opening of the frame and, therefore, the wall sections 8 and 9, which connect the end walls, will extend downwardly and outwardly from adjacent the upper edge of the opening, and then downwardly and inwardly to the hinged edge. The upper wall section 8 is preferably shorter than the lower section 9 which ext-ends from the hinged edge.

The entire closure may have a flange 10 along its side and upper edges which abut the frame along the opening, to form a relatively tight contact therewith. A suitable eye or anchorage device 11 may be secured to the inner face of one of the wall sections such as 9, and a flexible controlling cable 12 is connected to such eye or anchorage device.

-A cable guide or pulley 13 is secured to the frame in each opening l along the upper edge thereof, and the cable 12 for the closure of said opening is passed through such guide before connection to the closure. Since the interior area of the closure wall extends outwardly and away from the opening along the line of contact, there will be an appreciable stretch of each cable 12 between the anchorage device 11 and the pulley l8, enabling the closure to be pulled entirely closed. The cables 12 pass over guides or pulleys 14 carried by a suitable frame or ring 15 within the superstructure, and thence extend downwardly and are connected together by a suitable connector 16. A single cable 17 may extend downwardly from the connector 16 and be anchored at any desired point, and may and preferably does include therein one or more fusible links 18, so that if the temperature in the building or superstructure rises above a pre determined extent, the link will fuse and automatically release the closures enabling them to swing into open posit-ions.

It will be observed that with a superstructure constructed in this manner, the centers of gravity of the closures will be outwardly. to an appreciable extent from the vertical plane of the hinged edge, that is they will be outwardly overbalanced, so that each closure will have a normal and appreciable bias toward open position. By rea son of the angular outer surfaces of the closure, any wind striking the same will be split or divided in the manner that water is divided by the prow of a ship and, therefore, the resistance offered the wind by such a closure will be less than would be ofl'ered by a closure having a fiat outer surface. Any accumulation of ice or snow upon such a closure will increase the effective weight at one side of its hinge, and thereby increase the bias toward open position.

lVith such a superstructure the closures may be held in closed positions by flexible cables which are guided by pulleys or other devices secured in said openings, and when released will move to open positions without special springs and mechanical devices. The cables are connected to the closure wall which extends away from the opening, so that the closure may be pulled entirely closed without contact of the anchorage device or element 11 of the cable with the guide or pulley 13. lVith such a device the only obstruction to the interior of the supersaid building and having structure will be due to the flexible cables 12, which may be collected together and controlled by a common cable 17 and fusible link 18. lVith such a closure there will always be present adependable opening bias, and when the closure has moved to open position, the opening in the frame will be substantially unrestricted. The bias of each closure may be increased by attaching weights thereto, particularly for the closures upon the side toward which the prevailing winds blow. I

It will be obvious that various changes in the details, which have been herein described and. illustrated for the purpose of explainingthe nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled inthe art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A superstructure for buildings comprising a frame projecting upwardly from and above the roof of said building and having, in alateral wall, an opening with a substantially vertical jamb, aclosure for said opening having triangular end walls with the long side of the triangle abutting the jamb, the two other and shorter sides of the triangle being connected by sheet walls, said closure beingdisposed across said opening with the free edge of the sheet wall connecting the triangular end pieces hinged along its lower edge to saidv frame along; the lower edge or said opening, whereby said closure will swing outwardly and downwardly when opening and have its center of gravity to one side of the vertical plane of its hinged edge, to provide therefor a normal bias toward open position.

2. A superstructure for buildings comprising a frame projecting from and above the roof of said building and having an opening in a lateral wall thereof, said opening being in a substantially vertical plane, and aclosure for said opening hinged to the frame along the lower edge of the opening, whereby it may swing bodily outwardly and downwardly when released, said closure being formed of sheetmetal and having ts in terior area projecting outwardly and away from its. edge engaging the frame, said interior area also comprising a plurality of surface sections inclined to the vertical. plane of the opening, whereby the effect of strong winds blowing against the closure and preventing its opening, will be reduced to a minimum, and whereby the center of gravity of the closure will be outwardly of the vertical plane of the opening sutliciently to create thereon an effective normal bias toward open position.

3. A superstructure for buildings comprising a frame projecting from the roof of lateral wall, said opening being in a substanan opening in a.

tially vertical plane, a closure for said opening hinged along its lower edge to said frame along. the lower edge of theopening, so as to swing outwardly and downwardly into open position, said closure having two end walls of substantially triangular shape, the two sides of each triangle which intersect the side abutting the frame making an angle with one another of approximately 90, and the uppermostof the sides making such angle with one another being shorter than the lower of said sides, said triangular end walls being connected by sheet material, whereby the said sheet material of the interior area of said closure will project first outwardly and downwardly from said door opening, and then inwardly and downwardly toward the lower edge of said opening, whereby the center of gravity of said closure will be materially at one side of the vertical plane of its hinged edge, thereby giving it a normal bias toward open position, said angular interior area offering a minimum resistance to wind blowing in a direction tending to prevent opening of the closure when released.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

JOSEPH A. PETERMAN. 

